Alert archive / South Carolina / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 83, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

July 21, 2003Pickens County, South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this flash flood warning at Jul 21, 2003, 2:25 AM EDT for Pickens County, South Carolina. It was in force for 110 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 21, 2003, 2:25 AM EDT (06:25 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 2003, 4:15 AM EDT
In force
110 min
Issued by
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Area
Whole counties

County Pickens County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 46 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:26 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 235 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2003-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2780 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2003-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 11 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2780 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1108 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WGUS52 KGSP 210628
FFWGSP
SCC077-210815-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
225 AM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN PICKENS COUNTY IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

* UNTIL 415 AM EDT

* AT 220 AM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY 
RAIN FALLING OVER EXTREME NORTHEAST PICKENS COUNTY. RADAR ESTIMATES 
THAT AS MUCH AS 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF 
THE COUNTY...FROM PUMPKINTOWN TO DACUSVILLE. WITH SLOW 
MOVING...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS STILL IN THE AREA...ANOTHER INCH OR 
TWO OF RAIN COULD FALL.

* THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS FALLEN ALONG THE OOLENOY RIVER. FLOODING 
WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG MANY OF THE STREAMS THAT FEED INTO THE RIVER 
AND ALONG HIGHWAY 288. FARTHER TO THE SOUTHEAST...CARPENTER CREEK 
AND SHOAL CREEK HAVE ALSO SEEN VERY HEAVY RAIN IN THEIR BASINS...AND 
FLOODING ALONG THESE CREEKS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS WELL. 

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT
QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY
IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

$$
MCAVOY
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS72 KGSP 210728
FFSGSP
SCC077-210815-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
326 AM EDT MON JUL 21 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 415 AM EDT FOR NORTHEASTERN 
PICKENS COUNTY...

AS OF 320 AM EDT...NO FLOODING HAD BEEN REPORTED IN NORTHEASTERN 
PICKENS COUNTY. RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY 
HEAVY RAIN BETWEEN PICKENS AND DACUSVILLE. AS THESE STORMS MOVE 
THROUGH DACUSVILLE...THEY WILL DROP BETWEEN A HALF INCH TO AN INCH 
OF RAIN IN AN AREA WHICH HAS ALREADY SEEN HEAVY RAINFALL.

THOUGH NO FLOODING HAS YET BEEN REPORTED...IT IS LIKELY THAT SOME 
STREAMS IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE COUNTY ARE OUT OF THEIR BANKS. 
THE LOWER REACHES OF THE OOLENOY RIVER...AND ITS TRIBUTARIES...WILL 
LIKELY CONTINUE TO RISE FOR THE NEXT HOUR. 

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE 
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. USE CAUTION IN OR NEAR ANY SMALL 
CREEK TONIGHT...AND AVOID ROUTES THAT YOU KNOW ARE FLOOD PRONE.

$$
MCAVOY

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 20, 10:21 PM EDT, 4 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 10:21 PM EDT, 4 hours 4 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1021 PM EDT SUN JUL 20 2003

ISOLATED CONVECTION PERISTS...AND WILL EXTEND PAST MIDNIGHT. DEW
POINTS WAY UP TONIGHT...SO RAISED MIN TEMPS...THROUGH MAYBE NOT
ENOUGH IN MOUNTAINS. FOG STILL APPEARS LIKELY WITH LIGHT WIND
AND MOSTLY CLEAR SKY.

FCSTID =    7
GSP   72  89  70  86 /  20  30  50  60
AND   72  89  69  87 /  30  30  50  60
CLT   71  90  71  85 /  20  30  40  60
HKY   69  88  69  83 /  20  30  40  60
AVL   65  83  65  81 /  20  40  50  60

.GSP...
GA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.

O7
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 20, 6:14 AM EDT, 20 hours 11 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>013-
019-201200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
614 AM EDT SUN JUL 20 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA...
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY
AREAS OF DENSE FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE
ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTH CAROLINA PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS
MORNING...WHILE THE DENSE FOG WILL BE MORE PATCHY IN THE UPSTATE AND
EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THE FOG WILL BURN OFF STEADILY THROUGH
MID MORNING. LATER THIS AFTERNOON...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AS A RESULT OF DAYTIME HEATING. ANY
THUNDERSTORM TODAY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME STRONG...WITH WIND
GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ANTICIPATED MONDAY. STORMS
ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS COULD BE SEVERE...AND AN ISOLATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM COULD AFFECT THE FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT. A STRONG COLD
FRONT WILL DROP INTO THE SOUTHEAST STATES MONDAY NIGHT AND
TUESDAY...BRINGING WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
ANY LOCATION IN THE FORECAST AREA COULD SEE SEVERE WEATHER ON
TUESDAY. THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER THROUGH
THURSDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY.

BURRUS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 21, 1:15 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPPickens45 min
Jul 21, 5:19 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPLaurens, Spartanburg41 min
Jul 21, 5:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPOconee55 min
Jul 21, 6:00 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPUnion60 min
Jul 21, 7:04 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPGreenville41 min
Jul 21, 7:06 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYork39 min
Jul 21, 7:33 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPPickens42 min
Jul 21, 7:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGSPYork29 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in South Carolina, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.